


Blip

by kat_fanfic



Series: Malec One Shots [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Because of Reasons, Eavesdropping, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hints of possessed!Jace, Kitten, M/M, Magnus Bane & Raphael Santiago Friendship, Making Up, Misunderstandings, Post-Break Up, Post-Episode: s02e20 Beside Still Water, Simon is back from the Seelie Realm, immortality issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 03:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13561767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kat_fanfic/pseuds/kat_fanfic
Summary: Magnus has doubts, Alec overhears, Simon and Raphael meddle, and there is a kitten.





	Blip

„Raphael. Do you have a minute?“

Simon stopped short. He cradled the glass of blood (A neg, his favorite), and stood very still. He wasn’t sure if it was normal that he could hear Magnus’ soft voice so clearly. 

The loft was huge, and the kitchen a long ways away from the living room. Vampire hearing was good, but that good? He doubted it, especially since both Magnus and Raphael knew he was there and didn’t seem bothered by that fact. 

So it wasn’t really eavesdropping, he figured. Wasn’t his fault that his hearing was superior to anyone else’s, and it wasn’t like they were talking about State secrets or something. 

“Of course,” he heard Raphael answer. “As long as it’s not about make-up again.”

Magnus tsked. “I know better by now, my dear boy. The last time I came to you for advice on that, I ended up looking like Lord Dracula himself.”

Raphael laughed, deep in his throat. He only ever did that with Magnus, Simon noticed. “Admit it, Magnus, you secretly loved how it showed off your cheekbones.”

Magnus chuckled, and then there was a moment of silence, almost long enough for Simon to lose interest and check his phone. But then he heard the rustle of fabric and a soft, smacking sound. It almost sounded like…

“I wish you would stop doing that”, Raphael complained just then, sounding petulant. 

“What,” Magnus replied softly, “am I not allowed to show affection anymore?”

Raphael huffed. “I hate it when you kiss me on the forehead. Makes me feel like an eight-year-old.”

Simon grinned into his glass. This was gold. He was getting blackmail material on Raphael for years to come.

“Ah”, Simon heard Magnus say with his usual flair, “but to me you are hardly more.”

Simon could practically hear Raphael roll his eyes. 

“If you say so. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” There was a hint of impatience in his voice that Simon knew all too well. It was Raphael’s get-on-with-it-I’ve-got-somewhere-to-be tone.

Magnus was silent for a few heartbeats (since Simon didn’t have a heartbeat of his own, he used the warlock’s for reference). “Oh, it’s nothing”, he finally said, and even though Simon couldn’t see them, he was pretty sure that Magnus had turned away from Raphael, judging by the soft clink-clink of ice cubes bumping against glass. “Don’t let me keep you. I’m sure your many duties are waiting.”

Raphael sighed, a very conscious gesture on his part, since the vampire didn’t actually need to breathe. “Forgive me, Papá,” he murmured, sounding abashed and just the slightest bit embarrassed. “Of course, I have all the time in the world for you.”

Magnus answered his protégé’s sigh with one of his own. “That’s what we always think, though, isn’t it? That we have time enough for it all?”

Simon could practically hear Raphael frown at the wistful words. “Is this about Alec?”

Magnus chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. “When isn’t it?”

Raphael growled under his breath, a sound Simon had only ever heard from him when he felt threatened. “I don’t understand your obsession with him, I really don’t. Surely, there are more interesting prospects for you out there, Magnus?”

Even though he and Alec hadn’t always been on the best of terms, Simon couldn’t help but be a little offended on his behalf. Sure, Alec was a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, especially when something interfered with this duties as Head Of The New York Institute, capital letters. But underneath all of that seriousness and edge, Simon had caught glimpses of the sweet and approachable guy Alec could be, the one that loved his family and adored his warlock boyfriend to the point of ridiculousness. 

To his surprise, Magnus didn’t seem to take the words seriously. Instead he laughed out loud, and the distinct sound of his hand lightly slapping Raphael’s body could be heard. “Maybe. But as the great Madame de Stael used to say: ‘In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the improbable.’” 

“You have to admit, though, that being with a Shadowhunter - and a Lightwood no less - is as improbable as it gets, even for you.”

“I do.”

Raphael grunted in agreement. “So, where is your little Shadowhunter boyfriend then?” he asked. “He not around?”

Magnus snorted softly. “He’s working. Oh, and just so you know, there is nothing ‘little’ about Alexander. Nothing at all.”

“Magnus,” Raphael complained, tone long-suffering. Simon barely bit back an amused snort. It was never easy to deal with sexual innuendo form one’s parent, even if said parent was only a surrogate. 

And Magnus even managed to sound a little chagrinned, even if the smirk was clearly audible. “Did I overshare again? Hm, I just can’t seem to help it. He brings it out of me. Often. In various forms and in all kinds of positions-“

“Magnus!”

Magnus snickered, and then he sighed. “I’m sorry, dear. That was unnecessary.” While he spoke, his voice dropped in volume. “But you know how I get sometimes, especially...” he trailed off.

“When things get real?” Raphael added.

“I suppose, yes.” 

There was another moment of prolonged silence. Simon shifted on his feet, took a sip, then shifted again. 

“But you do love him?” There was honest curiosity in the vampire’s tone. 

“I do. More than I thought possible.”

Simon gulped. Magnus’ voice was full of pain.

“But?”

Magnus made a sound that was full of despair. It was in that moment that Simon realized that what he was doing was eavesdropping after all, and of the worst kind. He tried to stop listening, even going so far as to put the glass down and shove his fingers into his ears. But his keen hearing betrayed him, and he could still hear every word.

“Talk to me, Magnus,” Raphael crooned, in a voice Simon had never heard before. He could only assume that this was how the vampire sounded when he talked to the people he loved. It was strangely endearing, and Simon found himself wishing to be on the receiving end of it. 

Magnus let out a shuddering sigh. “It’s been a long time since I let myself feel so much for a mortal”, he murmured finally. “Alexander is… he is everything to me. The mere thought of losing him…” 

Simon felt his eyes start to burn. 

“I love him so desperately, so deeply, and yet… how can it be like this, when our love is doomed from the start? How can it be right that every second that passes brings me closer to the eternity I will have to live without him?”

Simons all-too-keen senses picked up the turning of a key in the lock of the front door. He heard the words Magnus spoke, recognized the soft tread coming into the apartment, and slammed his glass on the counter. The blood swapped over the rim and splashed on his hand and the spotless surface, making a mess.

Watching the red drops slide of his fingers had Simon hesitate long enough that he could hear Alec’s sharply indrawn breath as he heard the last of Magnus’ pained words. 

“How, Raphael? How can Alexander be the love of my life when he’s hardly more than a blip on my radar…?”

Simon arrived in the living room just when Magnus realized that Alec was standing right behind him. 

Raphael’s eyes were wide as they met Simon’s horrified gaze. 

“Um”, Alec said. His face was ashen. “I thought I’d drop by…” He was holding something pressed to his chest, but only when he moved it forward did Simon realize what it was. A kitten. There was a tiny, black and white kitten cradled in Alec’s hands.

“I found him in a box outside the Institute. All the others were dead.” He pulled the kitten back to his chest, studiously not meeting anyone’s eyes. “I thought,” he cleared his throat. “I thought that maybe you could take him, since you’ve had cats before, and…” his voice broke and trailed off.

The kitten mewled softly, squirming in Alec’s gentle hold. 

Magnus took a step forward. “Alexander-“ he started to say.

Alec shook his head and chuckled without humor. “It was a dumb idea, I guess. He’s cute and all, but why would you voluntarily set yourself up for the heartache of losing him in only a few short years?” His voice was grave, and hollow in a way Simon had never heard before. “After all,” he looked up, meeting Magnus’ anxious gaze, “he’d be just a blip on your radar.”

Magnus jerked as if struck. He opened his mouth, tried to answer, but Alec just shook his head and turned, walking out of the loft without looking back. 

The three of them stood there, frozen. 

“Shit”, Simon breathed.

Raphael scrubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t even hear him come in. I’m sorry.”

Magnus stared at the spot where Alec had just been. He suddenly looked smaller than before, as if he’d shrunk somehow. “Maybe-“, his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Maybe it’s better this way.”

“Wha--?” Simon gaped at him, stupefied by what he’d just heard. He was gearing up for immediate protest, the words “oh, hell, no”, already forming on his lips. 

Ultimately, though, it was Raphael that stopped Magnus’ stupidity. In a blink, he was in Magnus’ face, staring so fiercely at him that the warlock took an involuntary step back. “Stop”, he snarled. “Think. You just got over your other,” he gestured sharply, “disagreement with him, are you really willing to throw it all away again?”

Magnus slowly shook his head. He looked haunted, and small in a way Simon hadn’t thought possible. It was humbling to see him like this, and a little bit frightening. After all, if love could reduce even the High Warlock of Brooklyn to this, how much chance did he himself have to make it out unscathed?

“Magnus.” Raphael dug his heels in. “I will not let you throw away what you have with Alec right now, just because you’re scared of what’s to come.”

Magnus seemed to shrink even more, and Simon couldn’t take it anymore. “Yeah,” he exclaimed, a little more forcefully than he’d intended. He stepped forward and gripped Magnus’ arm. “What he said!” 

Golden eyes flashed at him, strange and powerful and, oh, pretty, and then Magnus burst out laughing, throwing his head back in his mirth.

Startled, Simon pulled back. He exchanged a quick glance with Raphael, trying to gauge if they should make a run for it. Maybe Magnus had lost his mind over Alec? And wow, he thought, what a compliment for the sullen Shadowhunter. 

When Magnus finally calmed down, he had to wipe tears from the corner of his eyes. “Good thing I put on waterproof Mascara today”, he remarked. His smile grew gentle. “Thank you, boys. I really needed that.” He took a deep breath and conjured up a mirror, quickly checking his appearance. 

“You going after him?” Raphael asked, watching him do his thing, fixing this and that.

“Yes,” Magnus answered distractedly, “of course.”

Raphael rolled his eyes. “Well, good luck then.”

Simon bounced on his heels. He felt strangely relieved. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” he crowed. Everything would be just fine, he was sure of that. 

 

****

 

It had been a while since Magnus had been in the Institute. Alec’s room was still there, for the rare occasion that work kept him from coming to the loft, but to Magnus’ knowledge, Alec hadn’t used it voluntarily in ages. 

Even during their brief separation, Magnus knew for a fact that Alec had spent most of the nights in either Jace or Izzy’s rooms. But now he was here, had chosen to stay in this room, as if knowing that Magnus would come and see it for the statement it was. 

He sighed. Even with all the years he had spent on this earth, and the power he wielded, he was little more than a novice when it came to love. And maybe, he mused, that was how it was supposed to be for every creature walking the earth, no matter how many years they got to spend on it. 

He took a fortifying breath, and knocked. It took a while for the door to open, and when it did, it was Jace’s face that stared at him. “What do you want?” the Shadowhunter asked in a low voice that bordered on threatening.

Magnus bit back a sharp reply. In a way he was glad to see him there, at his parabatai’s side, ready to defend him. “I need to talk to him,” he said instead.

Jace huffed and his eyes narrowed. “I think you said quite enough.”

“Jace-“

“No”, Jace interrupted, rather rudely. “You don’t get to come here demanding things after breaking my brother’s goddamn heart like you did, two times in a fucking row. I’m surprised you even dare to show your face here. If it were up to me, I’d have you banned from the Institute, you son of a—”

“Jace.” Alec’s voice drifted out. “Let him in.”

Magnus’ heart skipped a beat. Alec sounded a lot calmer than he expected. 

Jace growled under his breath, and he actually bared his teeth at Magnus. If it weren’t so out of character for him, Magnus would be amused by this display of brotherly love. As it was, he felt more than a little uneasy. Jace was headstrong, stubborn and way too impulsive, but he wasn’t usually spiteful. And that’s what he Magnus felt from him now. 

It was only when he looked back at Alec, that Jace deflated a little. “You sure?”

Magnus didn’t hear an answer, but whatever Alec managed to communicate seemed to appease Jace. 

That didn’t stop him from pushing his shoulder into Magnus as he turned to go, throwing him a narrow glare that seared through Magnus in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. Squashing the magic that had instinctively gathered at his fingertips, Magnus stared after Jace. 

Something was going on with Alec’s parabatai, something that felt vaguely familiar, yet he couldn’t quite grasp it…

“Are you coming in? If not, can you at least close the door?”

Magnus shook himself. Later, he decided. For now, there was something more important to do than figure out what was going 

He stepped into the room, letting it snick closed behind him. 

Alec was reclining on the bed, looking as off-duty as he ever got. He was dressed in a dark pair of sweats and a long-sleeved grey shirt that looked well-worn and soft. Magnus’ fingers itched with the desire to feel the fabric (and the lean but hard-muscled body beneath it). 

Right there on his chest, curled up into a ball, was the tiny cat he’d had with him earlier. It was purring away, obviously very pleased with where it was. Its eyes opened the tiniest sliver when he stepped closer, but it seemed disinclined to move. 

Magnus suppressed the impulse to let the cat see his own far more impressive eyes, but settled on letting his magic gently slide over and around the purring kitten. “He’s fine”, he murmured, meeting Alec’s gaze for the first time. “I got rid of the fleas and the worms, but make sure to let him be treated again in a couple of weeks. I mean,” he hesitated. “Only if you’re keeping him, of course.” 

Expression unreadable, Alec nodded. “Thank you.”

Magnus fidgeted. “So,” he asked finally, when the silence began to become awkward, “did you give him a name yet?”

To his surprise, Alec blushed and pulled a face. “You have to promise not to laugh.”

Intrigued, Magnus touched his chest with his fingertip. “I cross my heart.”

Gently stroking the kitten along its head and down its back in a soothing rhythm, Alec sighed. “His name is Mighty Warrior.”

Magnus felt his eyebrows climb high and he couldn’t keep a smile from showing. “Well, that’s a very”, he made a vague gesture with his hand, “interesting choice.”

Alec shot him a glare but it was a mild one and did nothing to dissipate Magnus’ amusement. “If you must know,” Alec answered, “it was Max’s idea. I let him name the kitten, and, yeah. Mighty Warrior it is.”

Magnus nodded. “Sure, I understand.” He watched the sleepy kitten knead Alec’s chest. “And what are you actually going to call him? Mighty? Or MW for short?”

Alec shrugged. “Nah”, he murmured. “He’s already got a nickname, of sorts.”

“Oh, really?”

The nod Alec gave him was shy and calculating all at once. “Yeah. I call him Blip.”

Magnus breath caught in his throat. He felt like he’d been sucker-punched. His vision grew blurry with sudden, unbidden tears, and, staring at the ground, he nodded and croaked, “That’s, ah, that’s nice.”

A soft squawk expressed the kitten’s lack of appreciation at being moved, and then Alec was right there in front of him. “Magnus”, he murmured, and there were gentle fingers on his face, urging him to look up. “It’s alright.”

He shook his head, even as his hands found their way in Alec’s shirt, gripping it tight. “It wasn’t-” he swallowed hard and tried anew, desperate for the words to come out right. “I didn’t _doubt_ us.”

“I know.” There was such conviction in his tone that it humbled Magnus. “I mean, I get it. We’re different in a lot of ways, and that’s something that will never change. There were bound to be bad days.”

Blindly, Magnus moved forward. “I’m sorry”, he murmured against Alec’s lips, desperately alternating between kisses and sounds. “I’m so sorry.”

Underneath his own. Alec’s mouth curved into a smile. “You can make it up to me.”

Nestling closer, Magnus let their kisses grow deeper. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Alec moved back. Not so much as to break contact between them, but far enough that Magnus could see the smirk on his face. “Blip needs a litter box, and not a cheap plastic one, please. Oh, and one of those scratchy things? I don’t think the Clave would appreciate claw marks on their precious furniture--“

Magnus stopped the flow of words in his favorite way. Alec laughed into the kiss, even as he sort of melted against him. 

“Whatever you need for our little Blip,” Magnus said, much later, when they finally came up for air again. “For however long you need it.”


End file.
